Best Of The Sound, '98: Civil, Yet Tough Enough

EVERY New Year's Day, The Times editorial-page staff recognizes remarkable people - as individuals or members of a group - who added measurably to the quality of life in the Puget Sound region. Some were gentle and some tough enough for a difficult task, but all have something in common - good work that shows an enthusiastic investment in the future.

Washington Attorney General Christine Gregoire was in the middle of what The Associated Press voted as one of the Top 10 Stories of 1998 - the $206 billion tobacco settlement. She was a lead negotiator for nearly two years on a deal that 46 states eventually endorsed. As a result of Gregoire's tenacity, Washington will receive $4.02 billion over 25 years. Thanks to Gregoire, in the future lighting up will have a different meaning.

Chi Dooh ("Skip") and Cyndi Li helped found Project Fare-Well at University Presbyterian Church, where low-income women get off welfare and find work. The Lis also volunteer to help refugees learn English and assimilate into a new culture. Skip Li is a Seattle attorney at Ellis, Li & McKinstry, but it is his work with other members of University Presbyterian Church that made a difference. A year ago, the 3,500 members of the church began working with homeless people. Forty-six church members volunteered as "care teams." A full-time coordinator was hired, and Project Fare-Well is into its second year.

Tom Nakao has attended his share of funerals over the past decade for Seattle teenagers caught in the crossfire. Nakao worked with students at Cleveland and Ballard high schools through Communities in Schools, a dropout-prevention program. A diagnosis of cancer barely slowed him down until late last year. Nakao helped teenagers find jobs, urged them to sit up and show respect, mediated potentially violent fights at school, and talked to teenagers about their futures. His legacy will live in the beautiful gardens and fish tanks that Cleveland students now tend, and in the hundreds of good choices, small and large, that he inspired.

Seattle librarian Deborah Jacobs proved that true leaders can energize an organization, convert skeptics into believers and get things done.

In one year as head of the Seattle Public Library, she led an effort to work with neighborhoods to re-work a bond proposal. Jacobs helped persuade voters to approve $196 million in bonds to build a new downtown library and expand the entire branch system. Every night at another neighborhood library paid off for Jacobs - and future generations of library patrons.

Ten years ago there was a lot of jabber about Generation X, twentysomethings thought to be selfish, soulless, tuned-out - whatever. Those perceptions spawned The Benefit Gang, a non-profit organization dedicated to disproving the slacker stereotype by involving young adults in community service.

Now known as Seattle Works, the organization this year will celebrate its 10th anniversary of promoting active volunteerism by young adults, 21-35. The decade of community service includes training young adults for leadership roles in the non-profit sector.

Ed Lazowska isn't exactly a household name, but at the University of Washington, where he is chair of Computer Science and Engineering, and among state education leaders, he is something of a hero.

Lazowska has assisted Seattle Public Schools in a variety of ways, from Internet connections to technology training for teachers. He is a leader in the K-20 network that will someday link all the state's schools and colleges. Lazowska was a 1998 recipient of a UW Public Service Award. He is recognized for his efforts to bolster the state's economic future through technology-smart policies.

Outsiders sometimes don't understand Seattle's passion for late School Superintendent John Stanford. One sure-fire way to explain is to describe the phenomenon he inspired of private giving to public schools.

School Board member Don Nielsen and his wife, Melissa, joined Seattelites Roger and Annette Rieger in donating $1 million to schools. The Nielsens' $1 million donation will be used to train teachers and boost programs from art and music to athletics. The Riegers dedicated $100,000 a year for 10 years for at-risk kids. Craig McCaw bolstered an earlier gift with $1.5 million to improve elementary-school reading.

What a year for schools. What a year for a community recognizing it can make schools better.